Grammy Nominee Profile: Angelique Kidjo
Monday February 4, 2008
While I confess that Angelique Kidjo's 2007 CD Djin Djin was definitely not one of my favorite releases of the year (the duets with Ziggy Marley and Joss Stone were sublime, the duet with Josh Groban made me want to jam screwdrivers in my ears), it's fully understandable that she got a nomination - she's one of the world's favorite musicians. Also, even if the only people who voted to nominate the album were the people who appeared on it, it'd still probably snag a nod - there are about seven kazillion guest stars on the darn thing. Anyway, though Djin Djin didn't do it for me, I don't think Kidjo has lost her touch, and I look forward to her next release, where she'll hopefully return to the music that made her an international star in the first place, and stop trying to "cross over" with ill-conceived duets. Until then, I'll stick with some of her classics - Oyaya! is one of my all-time faves.
Comments
Weren’t we just talking about this? Picking partners for duets is a tricky business for world music artists. I, too, found the album a little “soft” compared to some of her earlier work. Who can forget the first time you heard “Voodoo Child”? But I’m sure her true talent will return to the fore on her next album.
Yeah, a different discussion was turned into this one not too long ago - I wanted to bring the focus back on Ms. Kidjo and her accomplishments, and off of the argument about Mr. Goldilocks McShinypants.
Wow - how sad that tracks like Papa Golo etc didn’t float your boat. As Mme Kidjo’s friend and stylist, I can onlyhope that the nearly 1mm people who saw her as Josh Groban’s opening act last year weren’t as disappointed as you are. She is busily at work on a new album when she isn’t racing to a performance, or working on behalf of her numerous charities, or tending to her family. So please, in the words of Bambi’s mother to Thumper - “If you cant say anything nice, don’t say anything at all”. AK is a kick ass woman on top of a brilliant artist, and bends over backwards for her audiences - quite literally sometimes breaking her back on stage. Studios can’t capture her energy on a recording, so maybe you indeed missed some of her magic. Please visit www.angeliquekidjo.com and look up her concert schedule - maybe you’ll be absorbed into the joy she tries to convey incessantly, and won’t feel the need to criticize. And if you really don’t like her duets, then PLEASE, don’t listen to Safiatou on Jerbie Hancock’s album with Carlos Santana… it’s divine, but definitely too crossover for your taste. Jazz Pianist, Rock Guitarist, African vocals??? Too much talent to crossover and enjoy one another as artists made it a brilliant song, but I guess it won’t appeal to people who want to pigeonhole AK into a “world music/no radio play box”
I don’t think that’s fair, JP. I have repeatedly and unabashedly announced that Angelique Kidjo is one of my favorite world music artists of all time. This fact made it all the more disappointing to hear this record, which I found so mediocre compared to her other work. I HAVE seen Angelique in concert, and she’s an extraordinary live performer. I HAVE mentioned her charity work, and I find it remarkable that she finds so much time to do so many things, and yet seems to have equal verve and passion for all of them.
She’s clearly an extraordinary woman, and an extraordinary musician. But even extraordinary musicians put out so-so records sometimes.
As for “if you can’t say anything nice about anyone…”; well, I’m a music critic. It’s kind of my job to tell people what I think of music, to help them make informed decisions. That said - if Ms. Kidjo is coming to your town, go see her!